Diver's Death off Lover's Point

[RikRaeder]

Did the kelp crawl many moons ago at Monastery as part of my YMCA certification dives. Taught us not to fear the kelp, but definitely to respect it. It reminds me of an anticdote I never tire of sharing about my dear Uncle Cy.
He was diagnosed with a fatal heart condition and given just a couple of years to live. What did he do? He got certified and started diving at every opportunity. About a year after his diagnoses, he was diving, got tangled in kelp, and the first thing he did was to sit at the bottom and enjoy the scenery as he waited for his air to expire. His team found him quite soon and on signing their puzzlement about what was the matter, he responded that he was hopelessly tangled. His DM gingerly removed one strand of kelp from his first stage and questioned what was the matter?
Good old Uncle Cy regaled us with that one at his last Christmas dinner. He'd decided that since he knew his time was limited, he'd chosen to go out admiring the scenery and doing what he loved. Poor sod had no idea that he wasn't really tanlged at all. He's long sinced checked out, but I always remember him especially for that. My apologies, but after a bottle of fine red, perhaps I'm getting nostalgic.

 

[kidsdream]

Last year before a 3 day trip on the Vision out of Santa Barbara (my first California and Kelp diving adventure), somebody sent my this link. http://www.aviddivers.net/library/HowToDiveKelp/HowToDiveCaliforniaKELP.html

It is a great read and really makes you think quite a bit.

Each diver must make his own choices, but I as I wanted to get a feel for the kelp; I took it easy at first. Using my Semi Dry suit and no camera for my first dives and then progressing to my Dry Suit w/camera so as not to have too many things to deal with at first.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Kelp doesn't kill. Panic kills.

 

[D_O_H]

Kelp doesn't kill. Panic kills.

Especially if you read Chuck's great page on diving in kelp before you go diving up here. Great advice above as well.

My condolences to this guy's family and son.

 

[alo100]

My his soul rest in peace, and may the Lord look after his family.

 

[kjundvr]

Its always tragic to hear when a dive accident occures in the areas you frequently dive espeacaly when it involves a death. heat goes out the the family and with some luck someone will learn something from this accident which will prevent someone from suffering the same fate.